Originally Posted by
TechTanker
Then you have worked under some sh!tty contracts. I’ve worked at a regional that had better reserve work rules. United’s current reserve rules are the crappiest I’ve worked under in the 5 airlines (including mergers) in the 15 yrs I’ve worked and is the reason I will not upgrade even with the new AIP knowing I’ll be on reserve for the next 3-5 years.
The AIP may help a little bit as far as attracting more upgrades but I don’t think it’s gonna help as much as SK thinks it will. Don’t get me wrong, It is a step in the right direction but industry-leading it is not.
Here's the thing. Our reserve rules are different. You may infer that they are worse, but there may be a reason. UAL's contract is written with rules that push short term flying problems onto reserves. Other airlines handle these situations in a different manner. Lineholders on Delta NB aircraft frequently end up not flying their original legs. At United reassigning lineholders is only allowed after all reserve options have been exhausted.
If one examines a company with different rules that allow easier reassignments of line holders one can gain the impression that UAL's reserve system is inferior to that of other companies. I do not think that is true.
In short UAL's contract places great emphasis on lineholders NOT being reassigned, but rather using reserves to cover short term scheduling problems. UAL reserves also can not pick up premium pay trips. This too is an example of how UAL puts lineholders above reserves. Does that mean UAL reserve rules are "worse". One can definitely argue yes they are worse, but one can just as easily say no they are simply different.
This from a UAL pilot married to a Delta pilot:
I have a good buddy at Delta as well, (Wife 2010 hire).
"Rolling Thunder" is pretty rare, you need to build the perfect storm. To be successful you need to, be senior to bid off the beginning of the month, be on a narrow body, live in base, and/or be in a short staffed commuter base. It happens and they do have more opportunity to get RSV PPU (Green slips), but I would argue that the true "Rolling Thunder" is kinda hyped up a bit. Also Green slips are not 100% seniority If you are senior and get one, and I am JR. I get the next, senior pilots at UAL would have blood shooting out of their eyes if they had to share!
They do not have FSB, but as a line holder my wife (737 domestic) almost NEVER flies the trip her seniority holds (Tumi TA like), instead she is "re-routed" the next contract will pay more for this which will be a plus but that does not go in affect until AUG 2023.
This is from ALPA's contract differences summary prior to our new AIP:
Summary
Delta and AA do not restore lineholder days off lost in a reassignment. This explains why AA and DL have emphasized that their reassignment rules are resulting in pilot fatigue. Under the UPA, United pilots get our days restored for RAs (787/777 first day only is not restored), they do not.
Delta and AA also have no operational minimum day off requirement for LHs, so no MDO restoration is ever required for RAs or even delays. The UPA requires a minimum of 12 days off, and pilots can waive down to 10.
In general, Delta allows reassignments to occur more often than we do but has stricter limits on how late a pilot must be scheduled to return home. That difference reflects different decisions at the two airlines; Delta book favors more frequent reassignments that get them home closer to the original ETA, while UAL book favors less frequent reassignments that can get home later. The UPA restores the lost days off while Delta does not.
Delta has add pay for reassignments that is similar to ours, but notably does not pay if the reassignment is caused by weather. DL ALPA is trying to eliminate that exception in their negotiations.
In general, American's RA restrictions and pay are inferior to ours, which is why the AA pilots have made improving them such a high priority.